4. Ron Simmons Becomes First African-American World Champ
Years later, Ron Simmons would wrestle as Faarooq in the WWF. As the leader of The Nation Of Domination, he would receive several cracks at the WWF Heavyweight Title, but would never win the belt. That wasn't the case in WCW, where Simmons became the first ever black World Heavyweight Champion in industry history. Challenging Big Van Vader at a house show in August, 1992, Simmons was a replacement for an injured Sting. The injury was entirely planned, because Bill Watts - who was booking the company at the time - had designs on making Simmons his champion. People erupted when Simmons bagged the belt from Vader, it felt like a massive moment, not to mention a huge stride forward for the African-American community. Ron Simmons would only hold the title until December, but it was till notable that he held it in the first place. There were no signs that Vince McMahon was going to follow suit, and he must have been jealous of the coverage the title switch garnered for WCW. It was viewed as a positive move for an industry previously dominated by white champions, McMahon would have enjoyed that press.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
